Oregon St. is ranked 15th. in the Sporting News Pre-Season Top 100, and the second highest Pac-10 team, just ahead of USC, ranked 16th. The conference just missed getting a team in the top 10, with Oregon at #11.
Defending national champion Alabama is the pre-season #1, followed by Rose Bowl winner Ohio St.
The brutal nature of this fall's road schedule for the Beavers was underscored by the top 100, as Oregon St., just missed having all their away opponents in the top 50, when Stanford showed up at #51.
Boise St. is #3, TCU #6, Washington #25 (see Jake Locker excitement), Arizona #35, and UCLA #46.
Other Pac-10 teams in the top 100 are Cal, at #62, and Arizona St. at #97. An inglorious note for the conference is that Washington St. is the only team from any BCS conference not in the top 100. Ouch!
Miami and Florida are wedged in between Boise St. and TCU, at #4 & #5, and Nebraska, who destroyed Arizona in the Holiday Bowl, and will visit Seattle this fall, is #7. Wisconsin and the Red River Rivalry Twins, Texas and Oklahoma round out the top 10.
SN's story has the complete list.
Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com
